“They Laughed at Danger”1 Reclaiming Space in Sally Heathcote,

Anke Bartels (University of Potsdam)

n the UK, 2018 saw not only the and the courageous fighters for Icentenary of the end of the First World also made it into a graphic novel, Sally War but also that of finally granting the Heathcote, Suffragette(2014) by Mary vote to women. The Museum of London M. Talbot (text), Kate Charlesworth staged a special exhibition, an abundance (illustrations) and Bryan Talbot of academic books and articles like Jane (lettering, detailed layouts), significantly Robinson’s Hearts and Minds (2018) were also told from a lower class perspective. published, magazines from The Big Issue to Time Out London ran feature articles, hile issues of class, militancy and the film “Suffragette” told their story from Wgender identities have received a working-class ’s point of view ample attention, an aspect neglected in most reassessments of the suffrage movement is their success in reclaiming public space, a notion which lends itself ideally to the graphic novel as the interplay between words and images makes it a very powerful medium for re-visualising events from the historical archive. After a short overview of the history of the suffrage movement, which forms the backdrop to Sally Heathcote: Suffragette, I will discuss the various ways in which broke out of their spatial confinement and how

© Reproduced with kind permission of the authors. this is represented in the graphic novel.

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Women’s Suffrage in Context much more inclusive .

hile it sounds grand to proclaim A Very Short History of the British Wthat women won the vote a Suffrage Movement hundred years ago, this information does not tell the whole story. First of all, ut the campaign for women’s rights as already mentioned in our editorial, Bhad started even earlier than that. it was only women over 30 who had Already in the 17th century female property and not all women, who could authors like Judith Drake and Mary Astell take part in elections in 1918. The right had demanded a better education for to vote on the same terms as men only women, and towards the end of the 18th followed a decade later in 1928 with century writers like Catherine Macaulay the Equal Franchise Act. And, secondly, and Mary Wollstonecraft already went while this is celebrated as a unique much further in their claims. In 1792, British achievement hardly ever alluding Mary Wollstonecraft famously declared to a global framework, Britain was, in in A Vindication of the Rights of Women fact, quite late in including women in that women were just as rational as men the electorate at all. The first country and, as a consequence, were worthy of ever to enfranchise all women was New being given an equal education, trusted Zealand as early as 1893 (including with equal occupations and granted Maori women), followed by Australia in equal citizenship. Her ideas are a direct 1902 (but here only white women were response to Enlightenment philosophers, allowed to vote) and Finland in 1906 whose campaigns for equality and (cf. for more details Mukherjee 2018, freedom only included white men. 72-83). It is also conveniently forgotten Sadly, Wollstonecraft died early in 1796, that Britain was still an Empire at the and around 1800, triggered by fear of end of the First World War with the the excesses of the French Revolution, fight for voting rights also being on the a general rollback set in, among other agenda of various colonised countries things cementing traditional gender (often together with the struggle for roles. Thus, in the 19th century women independence). Finally, when talking in Britain still did not have many about the centenary of voting rights for rights or opportunities to live a life not women in 2018, it should also be taken dominated by men, be it in the form into account that the vote was far from of fathers, husbands or sons. They were the only demand women put . not supposed to get proper schooling, In fact, the so-called suffragists and let alone enter universities, and while suffragettes are part of the first wave of a working-class women had to supplement the meagre wages of their husbands

Page 2 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Anke Bartels by working in factories or as domestic of getting women enfranchised even if servants for even lower wages than their this meant to break with the ideal of male counterparts, middle-class women the well-behaved female by employing, were reduced to become “angels in among other means, militant tactics. the house” and thus mostly relegated These ideas “were born of despair after to the “private sphere”. Ideologically years of patient constitutionalism” they were supposed to personify the (Rowbotham 1977, 84) and morality of the family, in practical terms represented a new way of campaigning. their range of activities was restricted to organising the household and being he militant tactics employed by the mothers, which spelt into a severe TWSPU included women chaining limitation of their access to public space. themselves to railings, hackling at meetings or smashing windows but after aking these conditions into account, 1912, when the violence escalated, arson Tit comes as no surprise that the and small bombs also became part of idea to demand the vote came from their repertoire. The suffragettes were middle-class women. But it was not just convinced that only “Deeds Not Words”, that. They also asked for wide-reaching the famous slogan of the WSPU, could reforms to end women’s economic, convince the government to grant women social and political subordination. In the right to vote. Their actions were by order to achieve their aims, non-militant no means without risk: in 1913, the suffragists first sought the support of movement had its first martyr when Emily men sympathetic to their cause who Wilding Davison threw herself under were supposed to present their various the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby. petitions for the enfranchisement of middle-class women in parliament. hile the government was initially In 1868 founded Wat a loss of how to deal with these the NUWSS, the National Union women, who also dared to go on hunger of Women’s Suffrage Societies, as an strikes to be regarded as political prisoners umbrella organisation for the various when they were sentenced to time in jail, suffrage societies that had sprung up they soon came up with the Prisoner’s all over the country. Out of frustration (Temporary Discharge for Illness) with not getting any further where Act, the notorious Cat and Mouse Act their demands were concerned, in 1903 (1913). This bill stipulated that women finally initiated were set free from prison when they the much smaller WSPU, the Women’s became too weak after refusing to eat and Social and Political Union, with the aim being force-fed, only to be jailed again once they had regained their strength.

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But the suffragettes were not deterred appearing in public places which they and continued their militant campaign. had formerly been discouraged to enter.

he impasse between government on Mitchell has shown how Tand suffragettes might have gone on Dwomen have often been limited in for much longer if the First World War following their political and social aims had not interrupted domestic affairs. by a restriction of the spaces open to The war deeply affected the movement them (cf. Mitchell 2000, 200f.). Women for female suffrage as it divided both, the at the end of the 19th and the beginning NUWSS and the WSPU, with regard to of the 20th century were still suffering the attitudes of their individual members from the notion of separate spheres and concerning the appropriate reaction especially middle-class women were likely to the war. While leading figures like to cause a scandal when they were seen Pankhurst, who was a pacifist, at places not deemed suitable for them. did not join the “war effort”, others like These limitations on the accessibility of Emmeline and space work so well because all kinds of dedicated themselves to service at the spatial confinements are made to seem home front. As we have seen, some natural by discourse and have been women were granted the right to vote normalised. But the suffragettes did not after the war had ended, and Constance accept these restrictions any longer and Markievicz became the first woman to actively embarked on a reclamation of be elected to the House of Commons. political and social spaces which seemed to belong by unspoken consent to the Reclaiming Political and Public Space male domain. In the course of their campaigns, they not only changed the nterestingly enough, it is mainly the everyday lived space of their homes but, campaigns of the WSPU that have I even more importantly, became visible become part of collective memory when in an unprecedented way in political remembering the fight for female voting spaces like the Parliament building rights. The tactics employed by militant (whose Ladies Gallery was soon closed suffragettes (as opposed to the NUWSS’s to women) but also public spaces like peaceful suffragists) certainly contributed Trafalgar Square or Hyde Park, which to exploding gender stereotypes. But were meaningfully chosen as starting what is also significant with regard points for the suffragettes’ marches, an to the militant actions as well as the early example of reclaiming the streets. numerous marches staged by the suffrage unions is the “spatiality of resistance” (Mitchell 2000, 201) with women

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Graphic Novels and the Representation rendered in sepia tones of black and of Space white, the WSPU’s colours of green, white and violet (short for “Give Women s already mentioned, graphic the Vote”) are cleverly used in certain Anovels with their juxtaposition of panels throughout the novel to highlight words and images lend themselves very their importance while they seem to take well to explorations of space. In this on a life of their own. Already on this very respect, they differ markedly from the first page the suffragettes’ bright colours time-dominated kind of story-telling stand out against the bleak surroundings. employed by novels as the graphic novel’s “most visible medium-specific hile we follow Sally Heathcote’s feature is the importance given to space Wdevelopment from maid via (as a dimension of world-making), a militant suffragette to pacifist, her notably undervalued aspect in traditional memories are set in a wider context. narratology” (Baetens & Frey 2015, 167). Thus, the graphic novel is divided into three parts which focus on the history ally Heathcote, Suffragette is no of the WSPU until July 1916 alongside Sexception in this respect as it does Sally’s story and her involvement in the not only visualise different spaces but movement. Sally is easily recognisable also sets them in opposition to each throughout the whole novel because other to show the differences brought her hair is always rendered in ginger about by the suffragettes. The graphic (next to the green, white and violet of novel follows the eponymous fictional the suffragettes nearly the only colour character of Sally, a housemaid, whom that is used). While mostly drawn in we first encounter as an old woman in grids with small and bigger panels used the confined space of a bedroom in Park in juxtaposition, at intervals there are Place Nursing Home in Hackney. The splash panels to highlight the importance point in time in this first panel is given as of specific events or to establish public “Autumn 1969” (and this is not chosen and private spaces important for the randomly as 1969 marks the year when character’s development. Throughout, the in the UK was lowered to various source materials like cartoons 18). Sally is asleep, but in the foreground from Punch, newspaper cuttings or actual of the opening splash panel all kinds of posters, badges and banners are used and colourful suffragette paraphernalia like cleverly reworked to give the graphic medals and banners are cleverly depicted. novel a realistic touch (the historical Thus, the opening page already signals background to all these objects is explained the principles of handling colour for the in the comprehensive appendix which whole work: while panels are generally

Page 5 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Reclaiming Space in Sally Heathcote, Suffragette also includes a timeline). While there are At the beginning of the graphic novel, quite a number of panels actually set in we meet Sally when she is still a maid in domestic or office settings, it is striking the Pankhurst household in . that many show women in public spaces Despite this being a progressive household like Hyde Park or Trafalgar Square, which (Emmeline Pankhurst “saved” her from grant them a high degree of visibility: the workhouse), Sally’s early perspective their marches and militant actions is that of a mere bystander when famous symbolise the suffragettes’ resistance to supporters of women’s suffrage meet in the dogma of female public invisibility the Pankhurst home. Sally is not invited and restriction to the private sphere. to become part of the movement nor is she regarded as a person in her own Confined Spaces: Household and right. The lack of her employer’s concern Home becomes clearly visible when she is left albot, Charlesworth and Talbot to her own devices on the Pankhursts’ Tfruitfully use Sally’s story to move to London in 1907. Sally has to highlight the importance of space by look for a new position and ‘home’,

Suffragettes Marching and Reclaiming Public Space.© Reproduced with kind permission of the authors. also exploring its opposite: confinement. which she finds in the household Especially for domestic servants and of socialist MP Victor Grayson. maids normalised restrictions were an ere, Sally’s reduction to a mere unquestioned part of their everyday domestic position as opposed to lives. It was a decisive factor of their H being an individual becomes even worse. predicament that they were subject to Her “big ideas” (Talbot et al. 2014, a complete lack of private space as they 32) about women’s suffrage are not were dependent on their employers for appreciated by the other servants while housing and had to adhere to the rules if she is invisible for Grayson. Additionally, they did not want to end up on the streets.

Page 6 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Anke Bartels in stark contrast to the reclamation of he profound changes brought about space by the suffragettes depicted later, Tby women fighting for their rights Sally’s new home turns out to not only are not least visible in the new private confine her but also becomes a scene of spaces they carved out for themselves. domestic violence when she is subject to This is also true for Sally’s altered living sexual assault by a male servant. When conditions in London. Finally, she has Sally fights back, it is her who is sacked a room to call her own and despite her as this is deemed unruly behaviour in having to work hard to make a living, a woman. It is only at this point that the panels showing her in her room are Sally decides to look for a better life in dominated by sunny yellows, the same London as the urban space of the city colour scheme used later on when she seems to hold promises for her being falls in love with Arthur, one of the male finally able to subvert her former class- working-class supporters of the WSPU. based gender role. Sally’s story also serves as a strong reminder that the voices of ext to these conventional living marginalised women, be they workers or Narrangements, the graphic novel maids, have been largely forgotten and also explores alternative forms of silenced as there were only few being refashioning the private sphere. Thus able to write their memoirs or publish the convalescence home in Holmwood, their diaries after the vote had been won. where hunger striking suffragettes go after their release from prison,

Creating New Forms of Communality. © Reproduced with kind permission of the authors.

Page 7 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Reclaiming Space in Sally Heathcote, Suffragette differs markedly from the home as “” of 1910 and its aftermath. a space of everyday confinement. In Like so many suffragettes, Sally ends the quiet of the country, the women up in prison after the Black Friday embark on reading and playing board skirmishes with the police on Parliament games like Pank-a-Squith, one of the Square. This is effectively represented many branded articles the WSPU in the graphic novel as the chaos of the developed for their followers, while Black Friday events is echoed in a panel embracing new forms of communality. structure leaving the ordered grid with Sally’s individual experiences rendered in Public Spaces: Office and City a sickly yellow as if everything happening to her were a bad dream. The ordered his spirit of communality also grid is restored with a twist only when distinguishes the WSPU’s T Sally has to go to jail. The graphic novel headquarters in London, a semi-official highlights her ensuing confinement space which is important for preparing as well as her despair and the torture all kinds of suffragette activities. The of being force-fed by translating these resulting women’s rallies and meetings events into panels that mirror the bars of pay tribute to the fact that the suffragettes a prison cell while the pages all feature reclaim the public and political spheres formerly closed to women which finds not only an expression in their hackling at political meetings and their marches but also in their new-found mobility which has them travelling to other parts of the country.

o emphasise the broad base of the Tmovement, the second part, “”, features an opening splash panel depicting all the important suffragists and suffragettes of the time, while also showing the movement in full swing by concentrating on Sally and many other activists busy preparing banners for small as well as big marches attended by several suffrage societies. In this context, a special Sally in Prison. © Reproduced with kind emphasis is placed on the notorious permission of the authors.

Page 8 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Anke Bartels black borders to put emphasis on the ally’s daughter, who is significantly harrowing experience that the convicted Scalled Sylvia, and her granddaughter, women had to go through, especially who has ginger hair like the young Sally if they were not from the middle class. herself, visit her in the nursing home. The panels include a wider variety of he resultant intensifying suffragist colours to announce that we have arrived militancy somehow liberates the T in a different decade altogether. But the women from their earlier gender roles, but this comes at a high price. Thus, Emily Davison’s death in 1913 is related on a page of speechless, orderly panels bordered in black and partly consisting of newspaper cuttings. Sally, meanwhile, has also left the legal path by joining the YHB (Young Hot Bloods), the Re-workings of WW1 Posters. © Reproduced most militant arm of the WSPU, and is with kind permission of the authors. shown to take part in the arson attack ending is a far cry from asserting that on David Lloyd George’s house. The everything is well now because Sally’s panels depicting this act are drawn in granddaughter says that despite having dark blues and yellows to take up the turned 18 she cannot be bothered to notion of the bad dream again but also vote (Talbot et al. 2014, 164). This to highlight the importance of this event puts Sally’s hard-won achievements into for Sally who comes to understand her question (also reflected by the third part own strength while also being doubtful ending in a confined space, while the two about the costs of this kind of militancy. others showed Sally reclaiming public he situation changes drastically spaces for herself) and alludes to the fact Twith the outbreak of the First that the women’s movement had to be World War. It is introduced here in the born anew in the late 1960s as all the form of re-workings of well-known war early triumphs of the first wave seem to posters which show women keeping have been forgotten. The very last splash home and hearth safe while urging their panel makes these triumphs visible menfolk to join the war. Interestingly again as it allows us one more glimpse enough, the graphic novel does not tell at various suffragette memorabilia. the story of how the women actually ally Heathcote, Suffragette is not only got the vote in 1918 but stops in 1916. a celebration of women’s At this moment, Sally wakes up in the S and their readiness to confront danger nursing home, and it is 1969 again.

Page 9 Hard Times 102 (2/2018) Reclaiming Space in Sally Heathcote, Suffragette in order to achieve changes resulting in Endnotes a more just society but also a reminder 1 This quote from Emmeline that younger generations of women Pethick-Lawrence, who, together tend to forget those females who fought with her husband Frederick Pethick- before them. While the second wave Lawrence, was also an ardent supporter of the feminist movement continued of the feminist cause and an editor of to conquer public spaces with their the WSPU’s first journal “Votes for “Reclaim the Night” marches in the Women”, is part of the epigraph of Sally 1970s and 80s, today feminists still Heathcote, Suffragette and taken from her fight for safe spaces, digitally as well as autobiography (cf. Talbot et al. iii and in the real world. It seems as if there is 168). still a long way to go before women will have finally reclaimed political, social and public spaces on equal terms with men despite having been able to exercise their right to vote for the last 100 years.

Works Cited

Baetens, Jan & Hugo Frey (2015). The Graphic Novel: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.

Mitchell, Don (2000). Cultural Geography. Oxford: Blackwell.

Mukherjee, Sumita (2018). “Sisters in Arms”. History Today 68.12, 72-84.

Rowbotham, Sheila (1977). Hidden from History. London: Pluto.

Talbot, Mary M., Kate Charlesworth & Bryan Talbot (2014). Sally Heathcote, Suffragette. London: Jonathan Cape.

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Recent Books and Films on the Suffrage Movement

Non-Fiction Adams, Jad. Women and the Vote: A World History. OUP, 2016. Atkinson, Diane. The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes. Bloomsbury, 2018. Dunlop, Tessa. The Century Girls: The Final Word from the Women Who’ve Lived the Past Hundred Years of British History. Simon & Schuster, 2018. Pankhurst, Helen. Deeds Not Words: The Story of Women’s Rights - Then and Now. Sceptre, 2018. Riddell, Fern. Death in Ten Minutes: Kitty Marion: Activist. Arsonist. Suffragette. Hodder & Stoughton, 2018. Robinson, Jane. Hearts and Minds: The Untold Story of the and How Women Won the Vote, Doubleday and Transworld Digital, 2018; Penguin 2019. Winterson, Jeanette: Courage Calls to Everyone. Canongate, 2018. Classic Reprinted Pankhurst, Emmeline. My Own Story. 1914, Vintage, 2015.

Fiction For Adults Close, Ava. A Petrol Scented Spring, Sandstone Press, 2015. Harwood, Clarissa. Impossible Saints, Pegasus Books, 2018. Ribchester, Lucy. The Hour Glass Factory, Pegasus Books, 2015.

For Young Readers Grazebrook, Sarah. Crooked Pieces, Alison & Busby, 2013. Nichols, Sally. Things a Bright Girl Can Do, Andersen Press, 2017. Wilkinson, Sheena Maria. Star by Star, Little Island, 2018.

Films Suffragette. Directed by Sarah Gavron, starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, 2015. Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley. TV film, BBC 2018.

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